The latest update to Facebook® for BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet – version 2.1 – launched today in the BlackBerry App World™ storefront, and I’m excited to share that it includes a much-requested feature from #TeamBlackBerry – Facebook Groups. That’s right, listening to and incorporating your feedback on the application is very important to the Facebook app team here at Research In Motion. It helps us to deliver the features and functionality that users like you want and expect. So keep those suggestions* coming, #TeamBlackBerry!

If you haven’t already downloaded Facebook for BlackBerry PlayBook tablet v2.1, you can do so by going to BlackBerry App World (keep in mind it may take up to 24 hours for the new version to appear for some users). Let’s take a look at what’s new in this release, shall we?

Facebook Groups

Facebook Groups is designed to let you share and interact with the groups that you are interested in the most. With Facebook Groups on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, you can view groups that you’re a member of, post updates, photos and videos, view profiles of group members and send messages, and get notified of new group posts and interactions so you never miss an update.

Improved Media Access

You let us know in your comments and feedback that media viewing and uploading wasn’t intuitive in the application. We heard you loud and clear, and the Facebook app team has made some improvements by adding new photo and video buttons on the Photos tab to make it even easier to view friends’ photos and videos from their Profiles. The photo and video uploading capabilities are also now more apparent on the Photo tab, and are accessible from your Profile or through the Photos feature on the navigation grid. Simply click the Photos or Videos button to upload the corresponding media type.

Remember to post a comment below to let us know what you think of this latest version or even what you’d like to see in future versions – we love hearing your feedback.

* By posting a comment below you acknowledge that you have read and accept these terms and conditions and that any ideas you post will be the property of RIM in accordance with the terms and conditions.

Great news, #TeamBlackBerry: Twitter® for BlackBerry® smartphones v2.1 now has multi-account support—the top user requested feature. As of today, the app is leaving beta and will be made available for download in the BlackBerry App World™ storefront (please note it may take up to 24 hours for the app to appear in BlackBerry App World for some users).

In case you missed it, you can check out the highlights of the new multi-account support feature in the Twitter for BlackBerry smartphones v2.1 (Beta) blog post. I’d like to give a huge shout-out to our BlackBerry® Beta Zone users for their helpful feedback. The Twitter app development team here at Research In Motion® (RIM®) has since implemented a keyboard shortcut (Alt+Space) to make switching accounts a cinch. (Note: the shortcut key does not work on devices with SureType® keyboards.)

There are also a couple of cool multi-account support features available for BlackBerry® 6 and BlackBerry® 7 OS users in Social Feeds for effectively managing multiple Twitter accounts. Let’s take a closer look at Share with BBM and multi-account support in this updated version.

Share with BBM

While you could always share Tweets with your BBM contacts (as well as through email, text message, PIN, and Facebook®!), the Share with BBM feature has been added as a top-level menu item to make it easier to share Tweets with your BBM contacts. Having conversations about relevant Tweets through BBM has never been so easy.

Share Tweets with BBM Contacts and Groups

View multiple Twitter accounts in a single timeline

Using Social Feeds, you can view a stream of Tweets from up to five Twitter accounts in a single Social Feeds timeline, or you can opt to filter individual Twitter accounts.

View a stream of Tweets from all Twitter accounts in Social Feeds

Option to filter individual Twitter accounts

Post a Tweet to multiple Twitter accounts

Do you have one Tweet that begs to be published from multiple accounts – all at the same time? Now it’s possible to publish a Tweet to one or more Twitter accounts simultaneously. Just click New Post from the menu and select all of the Twitter accounts you wish to post a Tweet from and you’re good to roll. It’s that simple.

Post a tweet to multiple Twitter accounts simultaneously

As mentioned, Twitter for BlackBerry smartphones v2.1 with multi-account support and enhanced Share with BBM functionality will become available in BlackBerry App World over the next 24 hours. (Please note: The Twitter for BlackBerry smartphones v2.1 app is available for users running BlackBerry® Device Software v5.0 and up. To check your device’s version of software and update it if applicable, see this Inside BlackBerry Help Blog post: How to identify BlackBerry Device Software versions.)

I look forward to reading your feedback on everything we do, but especially on Twitter for BlackBerry smartphones! Please log in and leave a comment below if you want to share.

Let’s take a closer look at what’s new in this release.

Additional Profile Functions

You’ll notice that just to the right of My Profile photo and name, there are two new icons: Edit Profile and Switch Accounts. While you could always edit your profile via the Menu, now you can use the Edit Profile icon right from the Profile screen to change your picture or update your personal information. The Edit Profile screen has also received a new facelift.

New Edit Profile and Switch Account icons

Multi-Account Support

The new Multi-Account Support feature is designed to let you use up to five accounts on Twitter for BlackBerry smartphones. When logged into multiple accounts, the current user name will appear in the upper-left corner of the header bar and the user picture will appear in the My Profile icon. You can quickly switch between accounts by using the Switch Account function, accessible from My Profile or via the Menu. Have an interesting Tweet in one account that you’d like to share from another account? No problem, you can cross-post Tweets and Retweets from one account to another without switching the current account view. You can also stay notified of Mentions and Messages with near real-time notifications for each of your Twitter accounts.

Account Switch via My Profile

Account Switch on Retweet

This update is currently available in BlackBerry Beta Zone. To download the latest beta version, you need to register to become a BlackBerry Beta Zone member. Not sure how to get started? Check out Ty’s blog post on how to join a BlackBerry Beta Zone program. Please note that you must reside in one of the BlackBerry Beta Zone supported countries in order to participate in the latest beta release.

Download it today and be sure to leave a comment to tell us what you think.

The new BlackBerry® 7 OS comes with a bunch of new and updated BlackBerry apps that are designed to make it easier to connect and keep tabs on friends, family and your professional life. One such app is the updated Social Feeds 2.0. With the Social Feeds 2.0 app for BlackBerry 7 OS-enabled smartphones, you can consolidate updates from your social networks and the latest news from your favorite websites into one convenient location with greater control and customization. Let’s take a look at the new features in more detail.

Custom Views

The new “Favorites” feature allows you to create custom views of your updates with filtering options to add or remove specific people, channels, and topics you follow. For example, you can create a view called “Co-Workers” with contacts from Facebook®, Twitter® and BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™) all in one view. You can also add RSS feeds or add feeds based on a keyword like “BlackBerry” to a custom view, so any feeds related to BlackBerry, regardless of the content source, appear in that view.

Keyword Search/Universal Search Integration

Social Feeds 2.0 has been enhanced to include deeper integration with the BlackBerry 7 OS. For example, the new Universal Search integration allows you to search your BlackBerry smartphone and pull information from your contacts and content in Social Feeds 2.0. You can also use the new keyword search feature to quickly locate specific topics of interest, or specific content. You can perform a keyword search in a specific view or across all feeds.

Enhanced Feed Interactions

From the Social Feeds 2.0 timeline, you can now perform Facebook and Twitter actions on feed items. For example, you can comment and ‘Like’ Facebook feeds, or reply to and retweet Twitter messages right from the Social Feeds timeline.

Flagged Items

Advanced Social Feeds users with a lot of information in their feeds will appreciate the new Flagged Items feature. This handy feature lets you mark feeds for viewing at a later date. This is a great feature for getting back to longer news feeds, or as a reminder to follow-up on a friend’s Facebook post.

Read/Unread Indicator

The read/unread indicator is another great feature if you get interrupted while checking your updates. The new read/unread status indicator bolds what you haven’t yet read, so you’ll never have to question where you left off last. To mark a feed as read (i.e. to unbold it), either click on the feed item or select Mark Read from the menu.

For help with getting started with Social Feeds 2.0, be sure to check out Ty’s super helpful post on the Inside BlackBerry Help Blog.

Have a question or comment about Social Feeds 2.0? Let us know in the comments section below.

(YouTube link for mobile viewing)

Great news, Facebook® users! Facebook for BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet v2.0 has launched today along with Facebook for BlackBerry® smartphones v2.0. Both apps will appear in the BlackBerry App World™ storefront over the next 24 hours. To mark this event, I met up with Douglas to chat about the new features we’re introducing in Facebook for BlackBerry PlayBook tablet v2.0, including:

• Facebook Places
• Facebook Event viewing
• Ability to view ‘Likes’
• Privacy control on status updates

Check out our video above and keep reading to learn about these features in a little more detail.

Facebook Places

Facebook Places allows you to share where you are, what you’re doing, and who you’re with. With your permission, Facebook Places uses location-based technology on your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet to tell you about Places nearby. When you check in to a Place, you can tag a friend and include a comment. If your friends have activated this feature, you can also see where they’re are checking into. Additionally, you can learn about Places nearby by checking out a Place’s page to see who has been there that you know and any comments they’ve left.

You can also view the location of a Facebook Place on a map to see exactly where it is and check out the surrounding area, and even get directions by clicking on the map image, which will seamlessly launch Bing Maps.

Facebook Event Viewing

Facebook Events allows you to stay up on all of your social plans. With this feature, you can view upcoming events and birthdays, and receive notifications of new invitations that have been generated through the Facebook platform. Facebook for BlackBerry PlayBook tablet v2.0 also allows you to view event details like time, place, guest list and RSVP or write on the event Wall, if those features have been enabled by the event organizer.

View ‘Likes’

With Facebook for BlackBerry PlayBook tablet v2.0, you can now see the names of friends that liked your post and tap those names to launch their profiles.

Privacy control on status updates

Facebook for BlackBerry PlayBook tablet v2.0 allows you to control who can see each update you share on the fly. Simply click the lock icon in the lower-right corner of the status publisher to select who you want to make the status update visible to before posting it.

As I mentioned before, you can head on over to BlackBerry App World to download Facebook for BlackBerry PlayBook tablet v2.0 (keep in mind it may take up to 24 hours for the new version to appear for some users). Don’t forget to come back to the Inside BlackBerry Blog afterwards to tell us what you think of the new features, and if you haven’t already, make sure to Like our Official BlackBerry Facebook Page.

(YouTube link for mobile viewing)

The Facebook® team here at Research In Motion® (RIM®) is excited to announce that the official Facebook for BlackBerry® smartphones v2.0 app has left beta and is launching in the BlackBerry App World™ storefront! For those of you who haven’t had a chance to check out Facebook for BlackBerry smartphones v2.0 in BlackBerry® Beta Zone, you’re in for a real treat with this next generation of the Facebook for BlackBerry smartphones app. This is our most significant release since the initial launch more than three years ago. The Facebook for BlackBerry smartphones v2.0 app features a complete user interface makeover and is packed full of new features that we’re sure our 38+ million active users are going to love.

(Please note: The Facebook for BlackBerry smartphones v2.0 app is available for users running BlackBerry® Device Software v5.0 and up. To check your device’s version of software and update if applicable, see this Inside BlackBerry Help Blog post: How to identify BlackBerry Device Software versions.)

We shot a video of Douglas chatting with Blake from the RIM Facebook team about the top five Facebook for BlackBerry smartphones v2.0 app features. Click the link below if you want to read along with the video!

1. Brand New User Interface

It’s impossible to miss the sleek new design of the Facebook for BlackBerry smartphones v2.0 app, which includes a new navigation grid and a notifications bar that borrows from the BlackBerry® 6 “Today View”, plus Messages, Friend Requests and Chats all in one handy location.

2. Facebook Chat

You asked for it and now you’ve got it! Facebook Chat is fully integrated with your BlackBerry® smartphone, so you can start a conversation within the Facebook for BlackBerry smartphones app or from the Messages app on your smartphone. You’ll never need to worry about missing a chat message, since you’ll be notified of new chat messages even when you’re not using the Facebook app. Now that’s reliable communication!

3. Improved News Feed

Now you can scroll effortlessly through your Facebook News Feed without accidentally clicking ‘Like’, and you can interact with your friend’s posts in just two clicks. Simply click the ‘More’ button (+) to ‘Like’ or add a comment to a post. The enhanced publisher functionality allows you to post photos to your Wall, add an update, or check in to a Facebook Place right from the News Feed.

Additionally, there’s Redefined Notifications – you’ll never miss a beat in your social life now that you’re notified of polled items (that is, notifications that aren’t delivered through BlackBerry® push technology), such as ‘Likes’ and Event Wall posts.

4. Enhanced Profiles

The new Profile interface now provides Wall, Info, and Photos tabs for an even better browsing experience. New to v2.0 is the ability to view key information on Profiles and Pages, such as contact info, basic info like birthdays, hometown and relationship status, and likes and interests. Plus, you can discover which friends you have in common with another user with the Mutual Friends feature. You can also now view a user’s Friends List from their Profile if their privacy settings permit this.

5. Core Integration with your BlackBerry smartphone

Nothing says Super App more than deep integration with core BlackBerry functionality! The Facebook for BlackBerry smartphone v2.0 app is integrated everywhere you expect it to be, like your BlackBerry Message list, BlackBerry Contacts, BlackBerry Calendar, BlackBerry Browser…and now it’s even integrated with BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™). You can share Facebook posts with BBM contacts and invite friends to BBM when you come across a PIN posted on Facebook.

There are many other new features for you to discover in Facebook for BlackBerry smartphones v2.0. For more information, you can check out our previous beta blog posts, or better yet, head on over to BlackBerry App World to check out the app for yourself. Please note: It may take up to 24 hours for the new version of Facebook for BlackBerry smartphones v2.0 to appear in BlackBerry App World for some users.

As always, we’d love to hear your feedback, so drop us a line in the comments below and tell us what you think, and if you haven’t already, make sure to Like our Official BlackBerry Facebook Page.

Today marks the fourth beta release of Facebook® for BlackBerry® smartphones v2.0. Over the course of the last several months, we’ve introduced a slew of new features and functionality. Starting with the initial Facebook for BlackBerry smartphones v2.0 beta release, we introduced Facebook Chat and a brand-new interface. In the Facebook for BlackBerry smartphones v2.0 beta refresh, we added support for BlackBerry® Device Software 5.0 in addition to some new features and performance enhancements. And the Facebook for BlackBerry smartphones v2.0 beta 3 release included some of the top requested features, like Wi-Fi® support, the ability to delete comments and posts, and a new prompt that appears before you delete a Facebook message.

To add to the lineup of features in Facebook v2.0, this beta release includes some highly anticipated additions.

Enhanced Notifications – Get Notified of ‘Likes’

We’ve made several improvements to notifications; the first is that you’ll be now be notified of polled items (that is, notifications that aren’t delivered through BlackBerry® push technology), such as ‘Likes’ and Event Wall posts. The notification will even tell you who and what was ‘Liked’, so you’ll never miss a beat in your social life. By default, polled notifications will be set to a one-hour frequency but you can check as often as you like by selecting Refresh from the Menu.

And not to worry, polled notifications won’t drain your battery or consume unnecessary network usage since polling activity will automatically adjust according to your usage. For example, polling activity will be reduced during the night when the device is inactive.

After upgrading to the latest beta release, you’ll also notice upon initial sign-in that any notifications received over the last seven days will be populated in the notifications bar.

Cross-Channel Messaging – Share Facebook Content across BlackBerry Messaging Applications

Want to share something on Facebook with a contact from your BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™) application? No problem! Deep integration of Facebook with core BlackBerry applications means you can efficiently send News Feed items to other messaging applications, like email, SMS, BBM, Twitter® and more. (Did you know you can also share content from Twitter for BlackBerry smartphones and Social Feeds with the Facebook for BlackBerry smartphones app? Try it out!)

Enhanced Integration with BlackBerry Native Apps

Building on enhanced integration with native BlackBerry smartphone apps, which was introduced with the Facebook for BlackBerry smartphones v2.0 beta refresh, Facebook v2.0 now includes additional messaging options from the ‘More’ button within a Profile and from the Friends list.

In-App Error Reporting

If you haven’t already downloaded the BlackBerry Feedback Tool from BlackBerry App World, you can install it through the Menu in the Facebook for BlackBerry smartphones app. The BlackBerry Feedback Tool can be used to send feedback on BlackBerry smartphone features, functions and applications at any time and is currently available in English only.

Touch Toolbar

BlackBerry smartphone users with a touch screen device will now have Compose, Reply and Delete icons located along the bottom of the device screen in the Facebook Inbox for quick and easy access to these popular features. (UPDATE June 30/2011: Touch Toolbar is only available for BlackBerry 6 users.)

To download the latest beta version, you need to register to become a BlackBerry® Beta Zone member. Please note that you must reside in one of the BlackBerry Beta Zone supported countries in order to participate in the latest beta release.

As we near the end of the Facebook for BlackBerry smartphones v2.0 beta program, I invite you to please post a comment below to share your feedback and tell us what you think about this latest release.

UPDATE 07/07/2011: Quick update, friends! Twitter for BlackBerry smartphones v2.0 is now live in BlackBerry App World. Click the link and check it out! (Note: It may take up to 24 hours for the new version of Twitter for BlackBerry smartphones to appear in BlackBerry App World for some users).

The Twitter® app team here at Research In Motion® (RIM®) always strives to deliver a great user experience that meets the diverse needs of our customers. The updates included in this latest version were primarily driven by customer feedback we received on v2.0. We hope that you will be happy with the changes we’ve made to continue to improve the experience of Twitter for BlackBerry® smartphones.

The Twitter for BlackBerry smartphones v2.0 Beta update is available today within BlackBerry® Beta Zone. Let’s take a look at the latest changes we’ve made:

Color Refresh

This update features a lighter color scheme consisting of light blue with a shade of white. This new, smooth color scheme makes it easy to follow where you are in the timeline and has been incorporated throughout the app.

Compose a Tweet

It’s all about options! By default, the Tweet composer is “hidden” from the Home timeline but accessible from the new “Compose Tweet” bar located below the nav bar as displayed in Option 1 below. Clicking the “Compose Tweet” bar will bring up the Tweet composer at the bottom of the screen, similar to if you’re composing a Tweet via the Menu or by using the same hotkey that you would use to compose an email message from the BlackBerry message list (for example, in English, the hotkey is ‘c’ if using a QWERTY keyboard). Alternatively, you can choose to display the Tweet composer as a static fixture at the top of the Home timeline (see Option 2).

Option 1

Option 2

Trending Topics now with local trends support

A Trending Topics icon has been added to the nav bar and now includes local trends support. Local trends helps you keep in touch with the trends in your area while on-the-go with the Twitter app.

My Profile

Now you can access your profile quickly and easily from the nav bar (or the Menu). And, you’ll notice that the icon is personalized with your profile picture to better help you identify the account that you’re logged into (teaser: this feature will be especially helpful should we include multi-account support in a future release. #justsayin =D).

Performance Enhancements

Last but certainly not least, we’ve included some performance enhancements to improve the overall usability of the app.

This update is currently available in BlackBerry Beta Zone. To download the latest beta version, you need to register to become a BlackBerry Beta Zone member. Please note that you must reside in one of the BlackBerry Beta Zone supported countries in order to participate in the latest beta release.

Check it out today and post a comment below to let us know what you think of the changes we’ve made.

Not only did we release an update for the BlackBerry® Tablet OS today, but the Facebook® for BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet app has been updated as well! The update is available as part of the OTA (over-the-air) BlackBerry Tablet OS v1.0.5 update and will also become available for download from the BlackBerry App World™ storefront over the next 24 hours. Facebook for BlackBerry PlayBook tablet users are sure to love the new features that have been added since the initial release last month, including:

• Video uploading
• Facebook Search enhancements
• Improved access to Pages
• Message deletion
• News Feed improvements

Let’s go over the new additions!

Video Uploading

We think Facebook for BlackBerry PlayBook tablet users are going to love this new feature. Using the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet’s high-resolution video recorder, you can shoot a video and upload it on the spot, or select an existing video from your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet’s media library and upload it to Facebook. How cool (and easy) is that?

Facebook Search Enhancements

Facebook Search has been enhanced with a more intuitive access point and improved search capabilities. From the new Search icon on the Notifications Bar, you can filter your Friends list using the Friends Search, find that long lost childhood friend that you’ve been meaning to connect with using the Everyone Search, and even become a fan of your favorite band’s Facebook Page using the Pages Search.

Improved Access to Pages

A new Pages tab is accessible from the Friends list where you can view My Pages and Pages You Like and seamlessly link to them to view and interact with their Wall, Info, and Photos.

Message Deletion

You can now delete a Facebook message. Simply press and hold the screen until a delete button appears, and then tap the delete button to remove the message. (Note: Deleting a Facebook message from the Facebook for BlackBerry PlayBook app will also permanently delete it from your Facebook account, so use this feature wisely!)

Photo Upload Album Selection

Organization of your Facebook albums just got easier. When uploading a photo, simply select the album that you would like to upload the photo to.

News Feed Improvements

You’ll also notice that you can interact with your News Feeds via the More button to Like or comment on posts without having to leave the News Feed view. Extra convenience is a key focus in this update!

Options and Help Center

Lastly, we’ve removed the Options icon from the Notifications bar, but don’t fret: you can still access Options – as well as the Help Center and Logout button – by swiping down from the top frame of the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet screen to reveal these options.

As we mentioned earlier, this update will become available for download from the BlackBerry App World storefront over the next 24 hours, and is also included in the newest OS update for the BlackBerry PlayBook – v1.0.5. Be sure to check out this exciting new release – then come back and post a comment to tell us what you think!

Attention, Facebook® for BlackBerry® smartphones users! Following the initial Facebook for BlackBerry smartphones v2.0 beta release and the Facebook for BlackBerry smartphones v2.0 beta refresh released shortly after that, we’re pleased to announce the third beta release which includes some of the most requested features: Wi-Fi® support, the ability to delete comments and posts, and a new prompt that appears before you delete a Facebook message.

Let’s take a look at the new features in more detail.

Wi-Fi Support

Wi-Fi support is here! Now you can stay connected with friends and enjoy the full functionality of the Facebook app for BlackBerry smartphones while in a Wi-Fi environment.

Note: To receive push notifications while connected on Wi-Fi, a BlackBerry data plan with web browsing enabled is required.

Delete Comments and Posts

With this third Facebook beta release, you can now delete unwanted posts and comments. If you don’t like what someone has posted on your Wall, or if you want to remove a comment you’ve posted on a friend’s wall, or even get rid of a status update that you’ve published, you can simply choose to delete it.

Delete Prompt

Previously, when you deleted a Facebook message from the Facebook for BlackBerry smartphones app, it was also permanently deleted from your Facebook account. You can now select whether you want to delete a message from the Facebook for BlackBerry smartphone application or from your Facebook account, or both. The choice is yours!

To download the latest beta version, you need to register to become a BlackBerry® Beta Zone member. Please note that you must reside in one of the BlackBerry Beta Zone supported countries in order to participate in the latest beta release.

Note: BlackBerry Beta Zone participants will require a new keycode for downloading this latest beta version. If you experience difficulties retrieving a keycode, please visit the BlackBerry Beta Zone discussion thread for steps on how to obtain a new one. To access the thread, you must be a participant of the Facebook 2.0 beta program.

We always appreciate your feedback and strive to accommodate your requests as quickly as possible. Post a comment and let us know what you think of the latest beta version of Facebook for BlackBerry smartphones. With that said, we have a few more features in store for our next release, so stay tuned!